Month: April 2021

Phew, here I am at the end, or beginning of another week here at Lottarock. It is that time of year when things just get crazy, and maybe a bit out of control, but I have made it here so here are the happenings.

I am just now thinking, it is all a blur, can I even think back to Monday? I got to take a week off from Monday’s seeding because nothing was on the schedule and that opened up so much time I was able to pull together my spring bulb forcing order and get that off. We are going bigger next spring. Much bigger. Hope you all love tulips cause I have 3000 ordered for forcing. That isn’t including the ones that will just be planted out in the garden beds. So with the ordering of the tulip bulbs, we are trying to figure out how to build a cool storage room in the barn to hold all those bulb crates. Move over goats, tulips moving in with you.

The rest of the week we worked on the fencing around the garden to keep out the dogs who just love running through the garden “helping’. You can only imagine, I am sure. Transplanting seedlings, harvesting flowers, planting flowers out into the garden and now I am worried I will not have enough space for everything I want to grow, or need to grow. Move over veggies, flowers moving in with you.

The most exciting event of the week is Friday was the first open flower day. I had lots of beautiful daffodils, and not just your average yellow I might add. The first of the tulips are rocking in and I was very excited to see everyone who came out.

It looks like the flowers are really starting to rock in. I have been harvesting daily, so there will be lots of flowers, daffodils and tulips. I will have flowers by the stem so you can create your own bouquet, and will also have bouquets already made up.

I hope to see many of you on Tuesday, remember that the hours are now 3-6:00, and not what the website says. Have to fix that one of these days. If you haven’t gotten your flower card yet you can purchase one at the flower shed. All cash and checks are welcome. I leave you with the final photo of the combination of the road sign flowers and the shed door flowers.

Until next week. Allie

What a shock to wake up to snow, and an all day snow at that. Yes, I knew about it, and was sorta ready for it. All the daffodils that were at gooseneck stage or starting to open got harvested and are in cold storage. The tulips? I was hoping for the best, hoping that the snow would gently fall around them and support them rather than crush them and the gods were smiling this time, they all came through unscathed. A huge sigh of relief.

The pace here at the farm is really starting to pick up and sometimes I feel as though I am just running in circles. Last week’s snow didn’t help, but it didn’t hurt because it did give us some desperately needed precipitation. We bought two more rain tanks, 275 gallons, and Steve spent the better part of two days getting them all hooked up to the gutters, then we spent last Friday watching and hoping that the snow coming off the roof wasn’t going to tear the guttering down. A few times he had to go out to clear the mess but all in all we have about each tank about an eighth full. More rain is in the forecast for Wednesday so fingers crossed.

Garth was here with his little digger at the beginning of the week moving trees and shrubs that I planted when I first built the house. Now they are, or were in the way of this summer’s building project. A garage. It looks really different and if I can keep the water up to everything we should be good. They will give a nice backdrop to the cutting garden and also be used for arrangements when the time comes.

Friday, April 23 will be the first open flower shed day. I was hoping to be open on Tuesday, but realized that I have my second vaccination that afternoon, so, Friday it is. I will have tulips, some stunning daffodils and who knows what else.

Seeding and pricking out seedlings is still going strong. Wish I didn’t have a rodent joyfully nibbling on my babies but I do. Bugger all. One would think that with all the tasty self sown lettuce and arugula in the same space as my seedlings they would be more enticing. No. It, or they just want my good stuff. Peanut butter, salad greens or bachelor buttons, hmmmm…..

I will send out a reminder Thursday night about the flower shed being open, but it I will also say it here. Friday, from 9-12:00. Drive slowly in the driveway, the birds will be out, the dogs in. I will have the sign out at the end of the driveway as usual. Also we are located at 76 Stoddard Rd. Hancock. It will be first come first serve. I don’t have tons yet, but enough to make many of you happy. The season is just beginning!

Until next time. Allie

What a week this past week it has been. No rain, more wind, and June like temperatures. Not good for this flower farmer. Or any farmer for that matter. No matter what I did, it just wasn’t going to end well.

Let me prove my point. My magnolia behind the house normally blooms the end of April. Now look at this photo, taken tonight. April 11th.

With the high April temperatures, things are popping like there is no tomorrow. The tulips, are not blasting, but close. I was berating myself because seedlings were burning out and the tulips, oh, my tulips. I am watering them and keeping my fingers crossed, praying for cooler temperatures, not freezing temperatures, but cooler temps, and of course, rain. Oh we so desperately need rain.

Let’s just say that this past week has been a challenge, frustrating, and any other adjective you want to add in. Argh!

On the positive note, the daffodils are budding up nicely and are starting to bloom, the rest up the bulbs are really starting to emerge, and when I started to poke around the peonies, I am seeing buds, which means that with the dry I will have to start watering them as well. I hope that this summer will not be spent dragging hoses and water buckets, but if I must I must.

Seeding is continuing. Learning is continuing. Watering is continuing. What else can I say.

I know, flowers will be happening any week now, and as soon as I have enough to bunch I will send out the newsletter to let you know and post it on Instagram. Wipe the dust off your cards and get them ready. You do’t have a card yet? You can purchase them on any open flower day, whenever that begins, you can buy one by by sending a check along and I will mail you a card, and if you happen to still have credit on your card from last year, bring that along. It is all very easy, just old fashioned. Checks can be sent to Flowers at Lottarock, PO Box 35, Hancock, NH 03449

On that note, I will leave you paused with anticipation and I promise, I will be more cheerful next week. Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Allie

Here it is the first week of April and not a rain cloud in sight. Great for making energy with my solar panels, not so good for the gardens. We need rain, and not just a little bit of rain but a nice gentle rain, say an inch a day for about a week. That will green up the grass for the animals and give the bulbs a good push the perennials and bulbs a decent push in the right direction.

Seeding is coming along. I think I am getting the hang of these new soil blocks. Talk about a learning curve. Hopefully by the end of the sowing season I will have figured out all the nuances, but maybe not. Only time and practice will tell. With last week’s bitter cold morning temperatures some of my seedling took a hit. The experimental cool ones that were planted in the bed seem to have weathered the cold better than the baby seedlings that were just too young. I should have brought them in for the two nights but I thought the double layer of remay would have helped. Well maybe it did, but not enough it seems. Need to sow some more tomorrow to catch up. What did do really well was the dusty miller and the Icelandic poppies, snapdragons, bachelor buttons flax and stock.

The spring bulbs are springing forth. The daffodils are slowly emerging, and the tulips seem to really like where they are because they are really growing. It would be really strange to have fresh local tulips before the daffodils. The other spring bulbs are also emerging and every walk around the gardens I see more exciting things happening.

Between seeding, pacing the gardens, learning on Zoom and webinars, I have been getting the beds ready for planting. Today Steve helped me get the sweet pea fencing up, I have reworked the newer flower beds, getting them straight and where they should be. Irrigations is getting laid out because in another five to six weeks I will be planting out and things do tend to get chaotic here at the farm.

I look forward to seeing you all later this spring when the blooms are a bloom’n. Don’t forget to sign up for the Lottarock Flower Club membership. Checks and be mailed to PO Box 35, Hancock NH 03449, or you can come on the first day you want flowers as well. Until next time, I leave you a photo of what is to come. Soon. I hope. I am ready.